Eric's Story
by Elena Anselle
Summary: This is a year before Divergent is set. Why is Eric so evil? Find out in: Eric's Story. (Do not be deceived by the crappy name, I think my story is good.) Warning: Contains mild language, sex, and violence. Note: This story is now finished. Thanks for reading, and I'll hopefully come up with more for you to read. -Elena Anselle
1. Chapter 1: Riley

This is my first year as a Dauntless member. It's a month before the Choosing Ceremony, and as Dauntless Leader-in-training, I will help Eaton oversee training. Eaton. The Stiff transfer that wears his excellence everywhere in his own nickname. Mocking me,, pointing out that a Stiff beat me in training.

I walk over to the lunch table and sit down next to a stranger with her back turned, speaking to a peppy redhead. The girl sitting next to me turns around, showing me her face.

Her face. She was one of those girls that doesn't know she's beautiful. Normal at first glance, beautiful at next. She had brown hair that was down to her shoulders, shiny as polished brass. Her skin was tan and her smile dazzling. She looked like she had worked on her appearance for several hours, yet her beautiful brown eyes showed her oblivious to her own magnificence.

"Hi," she said, showing her straight white teeth. "I'm Riley. This is Belle. Who are you?" Her eyes filled up the room, as if all of Dauntless was quiet, anticipating my response.

I don't get nervous around girls. Come on, I'm a Dauntless leader. But Riley was different. This girl didn't ask just because I'm a Leader and I can punish her. She honestly didn't know. Her voice challenged me, told me that my name means something. I respect that, but it's what Jeanine told me that this is what Divergent were like. They challenged you, showed that they stood out. Beauty and bravery aside, my job is to crush this Divergent spirit, so I will.

"My name is Eric," I say, as cool and cold as I can manage. "Seventeen. Dauntless Leader."

I expect her to shrivel up at my name, understanding that I can make her life miserable. And Belle does, but Riley doesn't. If anything, she straightens up.

"Pleasure to meet you," she says brightly. "We're sixteen. Unemployed." So, next month is her Choosing Day.

"Well, we'd better get going," Belle says hurriedly, obviously intimidated by my Leadership, like (almost) everyone is. "We have to get ready for something tonight. C'mon Riley!"

She runs away, with Riley yelling to her. "I'll catch up later!" She then turns toward me. "Shauna's surprise party," she whispers. "At Zeke's place. Hope you can come," then runs to catch up with Belle. As for the party?

I wouldn't miss it for the world.


	2. Chapter 2: The Party

I knock on the door, and Zeke opens it. He looks puzzled at the sight of me. I don't usually attend Dauntless parties, but I walk past him anyway. The door closed behind me with a loud thump and I duck behind the couch to hide. Almost immediately there's a pounding on the door and a voice that yells "Zeke! It's Shauna! Open up!" No response. "Zeke! I know you're in there!" No response. "Zeke, open it up in three seconds or I swear I will knock it down. One! Two! THREE!"

Right as Shauna runs at the door, Zeke opens it as everybody pops out and screams at the top of their lungs "SURPRISE!" Shauna looks stunned. It was awesome. This is what Dauntless truly is. This is true freedom. for these next few hours, I will be relieved of my duties, I will be a normal seventeen year old Dauntless.

Zeke yells "Unless you're my age or we're good friends, get the hell out!" There's a stampede towards the door, leaving about two dozen people, including me, Riley, and Eaton.

"Okay," Zeke starts off. "Let's play Candor or Dauntless. I'm first. Four. Candor or Dauntless?"

Eaton thinks for a moment. "Candor," he responds finally. Once a Stiff, always a Stiff.

"Okay," Zeke says. "When did you jump?" He's referring to a Dauntless initiate's first jump into Dauntless, their first act as a Dauntless. Eaton sighs, unwilling to open up. Good. MY first act as a Dauntless was enjoying his pain as he Chose, when he dug the knife too deep. I enjoy his pain and suffering.

"Last," he finally says. I snicker. Zeke opens his mouth and starts to act something when Eaton stops him. "I told my truth already. Shauna, Candor or Dauntless?"

Shauna smiles. "What do you think? Hit me with a DARE!" Everyone in the circle laughs. Well, almost everyone. Eaton and I stay silent.

"Okay, I dare you to kiss Zeke." Shauna shrugs and grabs Zeke's collar. Almost violently, she pulls him in to a full-on kiss, Zeke's face reddening, Riley cracking up at his embarrassment.

When Shauna comes back up, she says. "Okay, that was awkward at the least." She scans the crowd for the next victim, her eyes settling hungrily on Riley.

"Riley, young one," she says in mock seriousness. "You must play Seven Minutes in Heaven with-"

"Wait," says Riley in her sparkling voice. "You didn't even ask!"

"I don't have to," Shauna replies, and Riley shrugs, nods, then leans in to listen. "You must play Seven Minutes in Heaven with...Eric!"

All eyes turn to me, including Riley's. Luckily I am extremely talented at concealing my emotions. No one will see my ears redden and hear my stutter. "All right," I say. "C'mon Riley."

We walk into Zeke's closet. Riley smiles. "Fancy seeing you here, Leader," she says teasing. When I'm up close, I see that her body bends and curves in the right ways, having just enough softness to be perfect.

"Yeah, don't push it," I say, meaning to stop the conversation. But Riley keeps going.

"So," she says, unfazed. "I guess we have to kiss now, right?" She doesn't sound nervous. If anything, she sounds, eager.

"Yeah," I say. "Or else you won't have completed your dare. On three?" She nods. "One, two, thr-"

Riley stops me with her warm, full lips. I tense up, unready, but soon relax, and stroke her. Her love doesn't make me feel uncomfortable, it makes me feel- whole.

She pulls away and says "Now THAT was a kiss." Then she leans back in and we kiss for about four minutes until I pull away.

"You wanna go out with me?" I ask, sounding almost casual. Riley stares at me, dumbfounded. 'Too soon,' I think. But then she smiles, laughs, and kisses me again, whispering "yes" into my ear.

The closet door opens up. Zeke pops his head in and says, "Sven minutes are up. You can come out now!" We say nothing, just keep kissing. I close the closet door so we're alone again. We stay there for two minutes until Belle pulls us out.


	3. Chapter 3: Author's Note

**Author's note:**

**I'm going to Florida for a vacation. I may not update for a while, like, until Tuesday. Bear with me, devoted readers. **

**-Elena Anselle**

**(PS, I'm doing this thing called The Shout where if you want to say something to my readers, PM me with the subject The Shout, and I will do one Shout per entry, depending on who's first. If you would like to remain anonymous, please write so in your Shout)**


	4. Chapter 4: The Date

**Okay, so no Shouts yet. I want to acknowledge my most devoted readers that have Favorited and PMed a lot: Ivyvian! Congrats Ivyvian! Got suggestions or Shouts? Want a little insider? Think it's time to publish a new chapter? PM me! Now for the story:**

When I wake up, I think it's a normal day. Then a grin I can't suppress spreads across my face. One name pops into my head: Riley. We agreed that today I would take her out on a date. Today, I prove my worthiness to the girl of my dreams.

I quickly get up and get dressed, making sure I look all right for the date today.

At lunch, I sit down at a random table while I wait for Riley to is the table we met at, she should know that we're going here.

The girl next to me turns around, and it's Belle. She smiles at me and says "Hi, Eric." I open my mouth to ask about Riley, but Belle's still talking. "I don't know where the hell Riley is, I- AAAAH!"

Belle screams in midsentance, pointing behind me. I swerve around to find Riley in the seat next to me, hair brushed, nicely clothed, smiling behind me. "What up?" she says, making a rapper face. She then sees me surprised look and chokes out between angelic laughter, "We totally got you, Eric!" She chokes out between fits of laughter. It hits me: these are the first people to prank me since I became a Leader. It takes all my might to glare and not kiss Riley, and when I do, Riley explodes in another fit of laughter.

"Oh, lighten up, Leader!" She says through laughter. She truly is Dauntless. She will prank someone who can turn her life into hell, just because it's funny. "Anyway," she says, suddenly her semi-serious self. "I have school until three, so I'll meet you in the training room at five after?"

"Sounds good," I say, remembering that just because I'm seventeen doesn't mean that she is. She still has school, she still doesn't belong to any faction.

We finish out breakfast quickly, then Riley says, "Gotta go catch the train. See ya later, Eric!" As she and Belle dash away. I look at the clock. It's eight thirty. This is going to be a long day.

I wake with a start. Glancing at my alarm clock, I rub sleep from my eyes, then jump up. Holy crap! It's three ten! Riley's probably waiting for me in the Training Room, punching a bag off its chain.

As I hurry into the Training Room, time ticks away. When I finally get there at three fifteen, I see Riley attacking a bag with her little arms. I smirk. She can't possibly make the bag go far with that little strength. Then, she gets the bag off its chain. She punches it, uses her elbows and knees, then hits the chain, causing the bag to fall over with a satisfying thump.

Riley looks over at me, her wonderful brown eyes filled with anger. "You're late," she says as calmly as she can manage. However good she is at concealing her emotions, I can still sense the anger wavering in her voice.

"I, uh, was at work," I say. It's a lame excuse, but it's not like I'm telling a Candor or anything.

Maybe I am. Riley's glare doesn't leave when she says "Don't lie, Eric. You fell asleep." Seeing my gaping mouth, she adds "Girls can easily detect bed head."

I sigh. I guess this relationship is either all truth or dead in a week. "Fine," I say. "You got me. I fell asleep and woke up five minutes ago."

Riley says, "There is only one reason I will forgive you for a lie this early into our relationship. Let's go to your place. I want some answers."

We reach my apartment and Riley closes the door. "We'll play Candor," she says. "Do you know the game?" I nod. All you do is tell the truth. After you answer a question, the asker must answer the same question. The thing is: it's useless. You can easily lie. That's why I play. To deceive people to think that what I say during Candor is true. However, I won't lie with Riley. She can tell when I'm lying, and I don't want to lose her because I won't open up about some stupid secret. She is my girlfriend, so I will open up.

"Me first," Riley says. "Are you a virgin?"

Really, Riley? The personal questions first? What the hell happened to 'What faction did you come from?' or 'How many girls have you kissed?' It had to start with sex.

"Fine," I finally say. "I am not a virgin. I've been Dauntless for a year, what do you think?" I snap at her. I always snap to see if I intimidate her. I never do. Her gaze never wavers, her posture never sags. I don't scare her.

Riley smiles. "I am," she confesses. A hot chick like her, already sixteen, a virgin? "You know, overprotective mom, not sexy, Dauntless competition, it's a wonder I'm dating you!"

That catches me off guard. She definitely is oblivious to her spectacular beauty. She may not be the ideal sexy chick, but somehow she's still beautiful.

"You are sexy," I say, eager to stray from the torturous game. "Why do you think I asked you out?"

Riley scoffs a little. "Me? Sexy? Not a chance. I'm surprised you asked me out. I mean, I'm deceptive, I'm mean, I'm power hungry, I'm-"

I stop her with a kiss. When I come out, I say, "You're just like me."

She smiles and tackles me into my giant bed with kisses. In the confusion, I pull her shirt off. She stares at me, then pulls her bra off and yanks off my shirt. We then go for each other's pants, until we are completely naked, both of us. She pulls me close, kisses me, and we do it.

We did it.


	5. Chapter 5: The Chasm

The next morning I wake with Riley in my bed naked and panic until it remember last night. I smile and kiss her forehead, she rolls over, completely asleep. I pull my clothes on and write her a note explaining that I'm getting breakfast. I look at her, sleeping, looking for the first time peaceful, and whisper 'I love you,' before going to get breakfast. I may have imagined it, but I swear I heard her mutter 'You too.'

When I come back, Riley is pulling her shirt on. She smiles as I come in as says, "Good morning, Baby."

Instead of kissing her and saying it back, I scowl and say "Never call me that again," testing her intimidation factor.

Riley simply says, "Okay," and grabs a muffin from the plate. She truly is intimidated by noth-

Riley shrieks from behind me. I swing around, and she is standing on the bed terrified. I follow her gaze and catch her looking at a wasp. Calmly, I walk over and pinch it, killing it between my fingers. I look at Riley.

"Don't judge me," she spits out. "If your cousin poked a hornets nest then ran and pushed you, you'd be traumatized, too!"

I walk over to her and kiss her cheek. "I love you despite your faults." I say.

I kiss her again. She kissed me.

She truly does love me.

We were standing by the chasm, her laughing, me remotely smiling, when some dude about eighteen walks up. His hair is wavy and brown, he's about six feet tall and obviously doesn't use deodorant. He smiles.

"Hey, Babe," he says. "What do say we ditch this place and go get a tattoo?" His dazzling smile matches Riley's, well, when she's smiling. She frowns, looking at her tan, clean skin. That's another thing that surprised me. No tattoos, no piercings, you wouldn't know she was Dauntless if it wasn't for her boisterous manner and pitch black clothing.

Riley turns to the boy. "Derek, for the last time, I AIN'T INTERESTED!" she shrieks. This boy must've been bugging her for years. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I was saying stupid, pointless things with my boyfriend."

"Yeah, you bitch," I add, knowing it's too much, but loving his surprised face.

Derek's eyes bug out. "Boyfriend? BOYFRIEND!" he rages. He then attempts to punch me, but I grab his arm and twist, kicking him to the ground. He groans, gets up, and pushes me against the chasm rail, sending Riley to fall in. She screams, Derek screams, and I heave myself over the railing, holding on to the end. She grabs my feet, and with all my strength, I pull us over the railing. Now that was a test of bravery. Riley gets up, and I recognize her expression. This is pure loathing.

She looks at Derek. "HOW COULD YOU! YOU ASK ME OUT, PUSH ME IN THE CHASM, THEN DO NOTHING! I DESPISE YOU, YOU SELF IMPORTANT DUMBASS! IF YOU EVER COME WITHIN A YARD OF ME OR ERIC AGAIN, WE WILL POUND YOU TO SMITHEREENS!

Derek looks dumbfounded. "That's Eric?" he asks, whimpering slightly, which perks me up a tiny bit.

"Yeah, you bastard," I say, looking him straight in the eye while he cowers. "Have you heard that I believe in second chances?" Derek shakes his head, looking hopeful. "Good. I don't. For attacking me and almost killing Riley, you will be executed. Now." I say as I push him into the chasm. He screams, and Riley opens her mouth in surprise. I too am surprised. I just pushed someone off the chasm. Oh well. I'd better take Riley to the infirmary.

She looks weak and scared. When I present the idea of the infirmary, she nods and says, "Can you carry me, Eric?" I nod. I carry her bridal style to the infirmary, though she is soaked, her head resting on my shoulder, my head spinning with thoughts and information.

The nurse takes an X-ray to check if anything's wrong. She somehow sprained her wrist. The nurse glances at the X-rays and frowns. "Riley," she says. "Can I talk to you for a moment." She nods, and they leave the room, filling me with worry. Does she have cancer? Are her ribs broken? What can't she tell me?

Riley emerges back into the room, her face streaked with tears, and hugs me, showing her soft side. "I was pregnant," she tells me. "It killed the baby." Then she starts sobbing again, silently at first, then loudly, like a clap of thunder, large for her small body.

The nurse smiles sympathetically. "I'll leave you two alone," she says, striding away, leaving me alone with Riley, still sobbing.

Riley looks up at me. "It was going to be a miniature us, you and me together, an unbreakable bond of our love." Suddenly, I feel like crying, breaking my personality. Riley looked at my face, then broke down crying, which made me want to cry with her.

So we cried.


	6. Chapter 6: Two days Left

Around six, Riley and I go to dinner. We sit down, and it turns out that we're next to Zeke and Shauna. Man, I really have to check who's at the table before I sit down.

Shauna looks at me. "Hey, Eric," she says. "What up, Riley." Sometimes I forget things about Riley. Like that she's only sixteen, or that she's known everyone longer then me.

"Hey," Riley says. "Where'd Four go?" I also forget that she knows Eaton, and doesn't despise him like I do. She told me once that she'd dated him for a week a little after initiation because Zeke set them up. When I asked why they broke up, she told me that he dumped her because she had no filter between her thoughts and her words, which is not true. That made me despise him even more.

"He's sick," Zeke replied. "I knocked on his door and he was puking." Good. Eaton won't bother us today.

Shauna looks at our hands. She says to Riley, "So, our little game of Candor or Dauntless set you two up. I'm glad." I usually don't interact with these people, so usually when they talk it's to Riley.

There's an awkward silence. Zeke says, "So, Choosing Ceremony's in a week. What are you going to choose?" Shit. I lost track of time. Riley has to Choose soon. Theres so many ways we could be separated, I don't even want to think about it.

"I dunno," Riley replies, pursing her lips. Choosing is always a touchy subject, for those who are going to choose and those who have transferred. Especially those who became factionless. "I guess I'll choose what the test tells me to.

The test. Such a worthless thing. I got an Erudite result, but now I'm thriving as a Dauntless Leader. Even if Riley gets a Stiff result, she would still thrive in Dauntless, because it's how she grew up. There is no way she's Divergent. She's Dauntless, through and through.

Zeke started in on Us again. "Wait, carefree Riley and evil Eric are dating? Impossible!"

Riley grins. "It's true. I'll prove it. That Seven Minutes in Heaven really got us jacked up. Demonstration:" then grabbed my collar and kissed my lips. I felt her warm skin on mine, her soft lips gently brushing mine. I couldn't help it. When we pulled away, I kind of smiled.

Then I saw Riley's hands, stealing my cake. I slapped them, and my smile grew wider.

Shauna whooped. "Wow Riley, Eric's smiling. I think you broke him." I scowled at her, causing her to erupt in fits of laughter.

Zeke grins from ear to ear and says, "Shauna, why the hell did you suggest Seven Minutes in Heaven? I was about to ask Riley out, but now she's taken!" Riley blushed at the comment, and Shauna scowls, and I hide my emotions.

Riley says, "We'd better get going. Eric and I need to talk." She looked at me and I thought, 'Damn it, she's mad at me.' Then she grabs my hand and walks away, pulling me.

When we were back at my apartment, she said, "God, that was unbearable." Exactly what I was thinking. Did they have to talk about Us? Make jokes at our relationship? Why does no one treat me like a Leader anymore? I got more respect during initiation!

"So," she said. "Did I break you?" I shake my head. She never will break me. She just found a part of me that no one had brought out before. She didn't break me, she healed the broken, malicious parts of me. If she gets through initiation, she may turn me into a kind man.

Riley wasn't done though. "Why don't you look at me how you did when we met?" That one was easy.

"People get used to beauty. When I first met you, I wasn't used to it. Knowing you for weeks, I am used to your unique beauty." I know it's cheesy and unlike me, but it's true, and she has the right to know how I feel about her.

Riley blushed. "For the last time, I am not freaking beautiful. I'm a plain girl with nothing extraordinary about me."

Sometimes oblivion is annoying. Convincing a girl she is beautiful is freaking hard. "I told you," I say. "You're beautiful in your own way. I know that's cheesy, but it's true, and I've never been this honest with anyone."

"You know what, Eric," Riley says. "I want a mini-me. A person that's part me part you. A bond of our love. A baby. What about you?"

I wanted the same thing. "If you're up for it," I say. Riley laughs and strips down, me following her lead. We kiss, we touch, we make love.


	7. Chapter 7: The Aptitude Test

It's the day before the Choosing Ceremony, the day of Riley's Aptitude Test. I know this for a fact because she wakes me up and tells me.

"I'm hyperventilating," she wheezes. "What if I flunk?"

I roll my eyes. That girl. I get that she's nervous, but still. "You don't flunk the Aptitude Test," I say matter-of-factly. "It's pretty much a quiz. You get one answer, and that's where you belong." Riley nods, kisses my cheek, and runs to catch the train to school.

I didn't tell her about the Divergent, because I don't have to. I know she'll get Dauntless. She'll pass initiation with flying colors, and we'll be together.

So, while Riley's gone, I go to Max. He said he wanted to meet with me today, and he's my boss, so I have to meet with him.

When I knock on his apartment door, Jeanine Matthews opens it. She smiles slightly and says, "Eric. What a pleasure," and let's me in. Max is sitting at the table hunched over a computer. When he sees me come in, he turns toward me and smiles.

"Eric," he says. "Kind of you to join us. Today, we must study Aptitude Tests. After the Aptitude Test is taken, the test givers upload them to this computer. We see them five minutes after the test is taken. We are looking for two things: Divergent and Dauntless. We can then stop the Divergent, and calculate how much room is needed for initiates."

He motions toward the computer, showing that Joshua Abernathy got Dauntless, Emilie Watson got Erudite, and Aaron Thompson got Candor and Amity. Max marks down on a slip of paper how many Dauntless there are, and who's Divergent. I don't really pay attention until I see Riley Xyna. She got Dauntless of course. I smile to myself on the inside. Riley will stay with us. I sit for another hour until the last test is done, then leave. My dream is happening. My love is staying.

When Riley gets back, she says, "I need to go to the infirmary to check if I'm pregnant." It's probably best. We did hope for a baby last night. It just might happen.

At the infirmary, the pregnancy test is a plus. We're having a baby. Riley gets so excited she screams, almost bursting my ear drum. When she's done, she grins sheepishly and says, "Sorry. I'm excited!"

We walk back to my apartment, Riley skipping every other step, her grin spreading wide across her face. She suddenly says, "What should we name it?"

I hadn't really thought of that. "We have nine months," I say. "We have plenty of time to think about it."

Back at my apartment, I say casually, "How was the aptitude test?"

A dark cloud forms over Riley's cheery face, like something wrong happened. But it's only for a millisecond, and she perks right up with fake happiness. "It was great!" she says. I can tell something is wrong. She won't tell me, but I can tell.

Riley immediately changes the subject but putting her hand over her stomach. "I can't believe a cross between us is in here," she says in wonder. "I've never really been interested in kids until now, when I'll have one."

I say, "When initiation's done, we'll be together, no more school getting in the way."

Riley looks at her watch. "I'd better go. My mom wants me to be at home because she won't see me in a month."

I nod, and she canters away, leaving me alone.


	8. Chapter 8: The Choosing Ceremony

The next day, I wake to Riley pounding on my door. I wake up and open it. She's nicely dressed and out of breath. "Choosing Ceremony," she wheezes. I'd totally forgotten. Today marks the start of the grueling Dauntless initiation. A month of torture to initiates, trying desperately to keep themselves from being factionless, and this year, a month of torture for me, trying desperately to keep Riley from being factionless.

"Well," I say. "Let's go." I walk out, but Riley stays in my room. I frown.

"I'll catch up with you," she says. "I have to catch my breath before I run at the train. I'll meet you there."

I frown, but walk toward the train tracks. I'm early, so I wait nervously next to nervous Choosers, and nervous parents. Riley jogs toward me five minutes later.

At the Choosing Ceremony, Riley looks, for the first time ever, unsure. I don't blame her. But she knows what to choose. She's not Divergent, or pushed to transfer. She has every reason to Choose Dauntless.

The crowd quiets down when Marcus Eaton, a Stiff, walks up. He's Eaton's abusive father. When Marcus says his speech about ancestry, Choosing, blah blah blah, I almost fall asleep.

Finally, Marcus says, "Faction before blood," and the Choosing commences. Going in reverse alphabetical order, Riley's like, third, so I don't have to wait too long.

When it's Riley's turn, she walks up shakily, though she has no reason to be nervous. She grabs the blade and digs deep into her palm, her blood staining the knife. She jerks her hand to her side where Dauntless and Abnegation are.

Her blood falls on the Abnegation stones.

I am astonished. She got a Dauntless result, was born Dauntless, got pregnant with a Dauntless Leader, then became a Stiff. I don't believe it. It can't be true.

I am too stunned to pay attention to anything else. I hear nothing but Riley's laughter. See nothing but her face, care about nothing but her. The girl that convinced me that she loved me, then abandoned me. Faction before blood, faction before love.

I remember a week before, what seems like decades. We made love. She got pregnant. All important, but that's not why I'm remembering that day.


	9. Chapter 9: The Letter

That night, as I rest my head on my pillow, alone, I feel something rough behind my head. I lift the pillow, and there's a rock, with a note attached to it. I pick it up, open it, and read it.

_Dear Eric,_

reads messy yet perfect handwriting, scribbling across the sheet of creased paper, as if written in a hurry. Without reading the rest, I knew it was from Riley.

_By the time you read this, I will be far away, in Abnegation. If you are who I think you are, you'll be stunned, sad, and angry. I didn't join because I'm a Stiff, or a coward, or anxious to get away from you. I transferred because it's safer to be Divergent in Abnegation. My second cousin Amar died in Dauntless from his exposed Divergence, and following his path isn't quite appealing. _

I'm out of breath. I helped kill Amar. It's my fault she's gone. I don't want to read anymore, but I do, knowing it's the last talisman of Riley is will ever receive_. _

_When Tori administered my Aptitude Test, I did indeed get Dauntless. But I also received Erudite as much as I did Dauntless, revealing my secret intellectuality. I am only granting you access to this information because I trust and love you, knowing that you have no wish to hurt me, and you deserve to know why I'm gone. Tori made me retake the Test, and told me how to get a Dauntless result. I did it, Tori deleted my first test, so according to confidential records, I am Dauntless born, Dauntless raised, Dauntless Aptitude, becoming a Stiff. _

_When I have my baby, I shall call it Sydney, so it can be for a girl or boy, and if you ever see it, which I doubt, but it's possible, you shall know what to call it. I will never marry, you are my one true love and I will only accept a proposal from you, because I love you, and I don't want Sydney taken away. Your warm hands are the only ones I'll hold, your rough lips will be the only ones to touch mine. I will be newly christened Alisa Turnage. I will be given a clean slate from this love and loss, and I hope that you will move on from me, as I'm sure you will, because you're a strong man who I can tell is Erudite from being near you for a month. Are you Divergent, too? Did you truly join Dauntless for your Aptitude, or because it was appealing? I know I will never receive answers to these questions, but you already know my answers, which will help you better understand why I chose Abnegation, becoming a Stiff forever. _

_Since the first day we met, I could tell you've been attempting to test me, if I was easily intimidated. Even when I found out that you're a Leader, I wasn't intimidated. I should've been, like Belle, but I wasn't. I could tell that you're not a man to hurt a strange girl because she has no fear of you. Your voice said 'Be afraid, bwahaha!' Most people heard that, but I was deaf to it. I was too busy listening to the deafening roar of your eyes, saying, 'I'm not truly evil. Love me, and I'll love you back.' Beneath your shield of maliciousness, I saw a caring, loving, sensitive romantic man. I brought him out, then fell in love with him. Though it's a well known fact that I am your first love, and I am leaving you, you should know that my love was deep enough to amount to the love of twenty young women, resulting in one terrible heartbreak instead of twenty miniature ones that are for naught. If our love hadn't ended this way, it wouldn't be worth as much, it wouldn't mean so much to me, you, or little unborn Sydney. I will carry our love from Dauntless to Abnegation, keeping it within for years, refusing the hearts of selfless young men. Before you, I never felt so many emotions. We changed each other, in both positive and negative ways, leading to heartbreak, but not after our Once In A Lifetime Love, that I wouldn't trade for the world. _

_Sincerely,_

_Riley, the one who loves you most, and who cannot live seeing you suffer because of her Divergence. _


	10. Chapter 10: The End

Riley Xyna died one year later, in the Abnegation attack by none other then Tori, the woman who saved her life by hiding her Divergence, only to reap it a year later. She sacrificed herself for the Blacks, another Abnegation family. Riley's bloodcurdling scream that pierced the air was the worst sound in the world, next to the bang of a gun that released the spark in those brown eyes, turned her energetic body into a lifeless heap that was overlooked by others, unknowing of her and her sacrifice that was common to the Abnegation and their selfless ways, her death no more then another selfless act by a Stiff.

Our baby girl died along with her, stuck alone in her stroller next to her mother's body, until a gun was turned on her, a bullet embedded into her beautiful little head, the one thing left of Riley. With her blonde hair and brown eyes, little Sydney was the perfect combination of Riley and myself. Riley never married, and neither did Sydney, too young to know that her mother had died and so had she because of her father's mission and ruthless, unforgivable ways.

By then, I was already cold and ruthless, but this pissed me off even more. I know it happened. I saw it with my own eyes about five minutes after Eaton's girlfriend shot my leg. She caught my eyes, her beautiful brown ones locked me in, froze me as I immediately recognized her. Even Abnegation's need for similarity could not smother her uniqueness, her Dauntless energy, and her unmasked beauty. She pleaded for mercy, but I was too stunned to save my beloved's life. I saw the life leave her eyes as Tori's gun went off, sticking a bullet in her beautiful breasts that I once touched. I heard my baby wailing at the deafening bang, searching for her mother, scared of all the bad people with guns, of all the bodies toppling one by one, like dominoes, until her wails were silenced, her pain and confusion put to rest, just like her mother's, by the same gun, by the same friend, seen by the same bystanders, a mere ten seconds later.

Riley's death made me distraught, and my sadness turns to white hot fury. I don't know how many things I broke, but I broke many items, for many hours, screaming at the top of my lungs where no one could hear me. No one could see the heart I had given to Riley being broken, smashed like the objects I threw onto the ground, swearing more then Riley did in her short life. If she was bouncing Sydney on her lap that minute, watching me, she would've been sobbing uncontrollably, knowing that she caused me that pain and misery. The broken part of me knew it was her fault, and wanted to see her suffer. Then, the part of me for Riley told me that she would be going through what I'm going through, and neither part wanted that. That part's the only thing that stopped my rampage. I know that her letter said we would meet again in the afterlife, but she will go to Heaven for sacrificing herself for a Stiff family without question, leaving her happiness and love to save those she loved. I won't see her, because I will eternally be stuck in Hell from helping kill my love.

Everyone you meet leaves an impression on you. Strangers leave a small one, friends a deeper one, and family goes even deeper. The deepest mark is left by those you love. Whether it's a week long love or a year, you still never forget it.

You will always remember your first date, your first kiss, and certainly your first time having sex. Riley remarked each of those milestones for me, making our time together worth savoring, worth doing. In Erudite, any love was deemed useless, only resulting in heartbreak, depression, and eventually suicide, therefore unworthy of attention. I used to think they were right, until Riley transformed me. Her letter spoke the truth. Sure, love ends in heartbreak, but isn't the wonderful love worth it? In Dauntless I was too violent for anyone to love me. Riley changed that, too. She was what I needed. Someone like me, who would challenge me, and never back down. She's left a mark on my life on everything worth caring about, everything I care about, everything we cared about, when there was a We. Marks often turn into scars, ugly gashes that haunt former loved ones, careful not to have the same regrets, careful not to make the same mistakes. Often too careful.

Now, though our time together was short and brief, I savor end every second. I've never had my heart broken, because I've never loved someone enough. The mark in your life formed by a positive or negative relationship is often when it ends. My love for Riley lived as long as I myself did, but in those years, it transformed into a scar, the grief and regrets haunting me every minute as I outlasted my Meant To Be.

This loss made me brutal, villainous, it made me the true Eric that everyone saw. The loving, sensitive side I'd displayed to Riley existed only for her. It closed up and disappeared, crumbling when she left, and no one bothered to open it up again. Even after she'd become a Stiff, I had a lingering hope that she would come back and we would live together, me kind, her happy, and Sydney with a father. That hope plummeted every day after her switch. Her death brought me back to reality, that those were hopeless dreams that, like all dreams, were made to be crushed.

The day of our talk with Zeke and Shauna comes to mind. Not because Riley got pregnant with Sydney, but because of her questions. She asked if she'd broken me.

I shook my head, and it was true at the moment. Although now, I'm not so sure. Riley broke my soft side. She broke my heart. She broke my life.

She broke me.


End file.
